That's All He Wrote
by hannahsoapy
Summary: "It had damned better be you reading this, Potter."
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I found this languishing in my 'incomplete' folder the other day, and decided with a quick edit and an ending, it would be ready to post. Apparently, I wrote it over a year ago, so it's not my best writing, but I hope you all enjoy reading it! It's short, sweet, and a little silly! I'll have it all posted in the next couple days.

* * *

The First Note

They all stared at the tiny folded wedge of paper stuck to the back of the locket. Hermione waved her wand at it, performing a basic unsticking charm. The crinkling of the paper as Harry unfolded it was the only noise in the tent. He cleared his throat.

 _"Potter,_

 _It had damned better be you reading this. Although clearly not the best choice if I wish to stay alive, I have determined that my illustrious cousin had the right idea in seeking out the Dark Lord's horcruxes. Unfortunately, since I have no way of reliably disposing of them myself, I have attempted to leave this one in an easy place for you to locate-at least, compared to where it was, behind some very creative wards and curses at Borgin and Burke's. When I discover the next, I will make it known to you if I still cannot destroy it myself._

 _-DLM"_

None of them knew what to say.

"DLM?" Hermione finally questioned. "Do you suppose… Malfoy?"

"Malfoy?" Ron said, incredulously.

"Malfoy…" Harry contemplated./p

"Yes, Malfoy. I'm fairly certain his middle name is Lucius."

"I suppose Regulus _would_ technically have been his cousin."

"Malfoy or not," said Harry, "I suppose at least we've found a horcrux, even if we don't have a way to destroy it."


	2. Chapter 2

The Second Note

Harry and Hermione left the silent, snowy graveyard in Godric's Hollow, following the figure of Bathilda Bagshot. As they passed a gap between the quaint, snow-covered houses, a man in a giant, patched coat rushed out, colliding with them, and stumbling to the ground.

The stranger jumped up and thrust a book into Hermione's arms.

The man rushed off before Hermione or Harry could say anything, mostly because they were still in a bit of shock. It had happened so quickly, Bathilda was still in sight, ambling up the road in front of them.

"Um," Harry said, "Did a hobo just give you a book?"

"It would appear so," said Hermione, and she flipped it over to look at the title. "The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore by Rita Skeeter? What sort of hogwash is she putting out now?"

Hermione opened up the book. She'd meant to open to the front page, but something in the middle had weighted the pages down, causing them to flop over her hand to the page it was affixed to.

It was another folded note. Harry groaned. Hermione (again) performed the unsticking charm and opened it.

 _"_ _Potter- or more likely, Granger, seeing what I've left this in-_

 _Leave, it's a trap. What do they teach muggles these days? Don't follow strange old women. Especially if they smell weird. That's Nagini. Don't believe me? Have Potter talk to her in Parseltongue._

 _-DLM"_

"I'm not sure I trust him," Harry said.

Hermione sighed, and stuffed the note back into the book.

"Honestly, I'm not sure I do either, but I don't have a good feeling about this." She gestured at Bathilda, still shuffling ahead of them.

"Right," Harry said as Bathilda turned in to the gate of a little house. "I'll ask her something in regular old English, and then in Parseltongue. We'll see which she responds to."

Hermione nodded in agreement.

Ten minutes later, gasping from exertion, they were back at the tent.

"Okay, okay, dammit, he was right, Hermione," Harry gasped, collapsing back on the forest floor, hand to his scar as he saw Voldemort's displeasure.

Hermione looked down sadly at Harry's destroyed wand in her hands.


	3. Chapter 3

The Third Note

"Harry and Ron were walking, soaking wet, back to the tent when they saw the note on the hilt of the sword. Harry performed the unsticking charm (he had been paying attention when Hermione did it the last time), and quickly unfolded it.

 _"Potter-_

 _Don't blame me for the ridiculously overcomplicated method of delivering this to you. Not my idea. Apparently, Gryffindors can't help looking gift unicorns in the mouth. You're welcome._

 _-DLM"_

"I know he's helping us, but he's still a bit of a git, isn't he," Ron said.

Harry laughed. "I don't think he'd be Malfoy if he wasn't."


	4. Chapter 4

Malfoy Manor

Footsteps came down the stairs into the dungeon. Harry and Ron stood by the cell door, watching the pair of shadows descend. A heavy, quiet thump sounded as one of the shadows fell down. The remaining shadow reached down and took something from the one that had fallen.

The remaining steps found them still with anticipation.

"Malfoy!" Ron practically shouted, when the owner of the shadow came into view.

Harry found he wasn't really surprised at all.

Malfoy lifted a pale brow. "Why the surprise, Weasley? It is my house," he stated, calmly.

He pointed his wand at the lock and started muttering. It clicked open.

"Well, come on," he said to the hesitant occupants. "You can apparate out from the tenth step."

He led them up the stairs, turning to face them once they were all far enough up.

"Catch," he said, tossing something at them. Ron grabbed it, and looked amazed that he now held a wand.

"Wormtail's," Draco said shortly, answering the unasked question, and nodding at Pettigrew's unconscious body just behind him on the stairs.

They could hear Hermione's screams much clearer now. Ron and Harry exchanged a panicked glance.

"We have to get-"

"No, Potter," Draco cut in. "There are too many up there, and not enough wands here. We don't have much time, anyway. You need to get out. I'll get Granger." He extended his wand to Harry.

"You'll have to stupefy me. Yell it, so they hear." Harry nodded, and took Malfoy's wand.

"Wait, you don't know where we'll be," Harry said, turning to Ron.

"Bill and Fleur's, Shell Cottage," Ron blurted as he linked arms with Luna and Dean, preparing to apparate.

Malfoy met his eyes, and Ron felt a gentle ruffling through his mind.

"Good. Do it now, Potter."

Harry raised the wand, Hermione's screams reaching a crescendo above them, and shouted, "STUPEFY!"


	5. Chapter 5

The Fourth Note

It was very, very early in the morning, two days later, when Harry and Ron were woken by ferocious pounding, followed by the crack of disapparition. Their rooms were right above the front door, so, as they discovered, they were the only ones awoken by the racket.

Ron made it downstairs first, to find an inert Hermione lying on the porch, holding the sword of Godric Gryffindor. They frantically picked her up, deposited her on the nearest soft surface (the couch) and ran around trying to find any potions Fleur had around that might help.

Arms full of various vials and bottles, they stood over her trying to decide what to administer first, when she shifted on the couch, snuggling into the throw pillow, and muttering something that sounded suspiciously like 'Draco'. Harry and Ron gaped.

"She's asleep?!"

Their simultaneous cries of astonishment, of course, woke Hermione up.

"Oh, hello boys," she said, lethargically. "Draco said to give this to you." And she pulled a folded piece of parchment from inside her sweater.

"What is it with the notes?" Harry said as he took it from Hermione.

"Draco?" Ron exclaimed, unable to ignore it now that she was awake.

"Well, he did risk his life getting me out from under Bellatrix and V- You Know Who." She self-consciously picked at a piece of lint on her sweater. Ron looked as though someone had told him the Chocolate Frog factory had burned down.

Harry cleared his throat.

 _"Potter-_

 _Here's your Granger back. May need more blood-replenishing potion-"_

Ron grabbed the vial of said potion and shoved it in Hermione's face.

 _"-but otherwise mostly unharmed."_

"Mostly?" Harry narrowed his eyes at Hermione. "What did they do?"

She just shook her head at him and gestured for him to keep reading.

 _"As you read this, I'll be retrieving the cup from my aunt's vault. You'll find it in the wood behind the moor the Quidditch World Cup was at before fourth year. Look for the tree I was leaning against during our conversation._

 _-DLM"_

"'Our conversation', that's one way of putting it," Ron snorted.

"Actually, I'm fairly certain he was trying to warn us," Hermione said casually.

"I suppose," Harry said, recalling the 'conversation'.

"Bloody twisted way of warning us, that's for sure."

"Did he say his aunt's vault?" Hermione jolted up and grabbed the note from Harry, reading it for herself. "He did, he's stealing something out of Gringotts! That stupid, sneaky…"

"Slytherin?" Ron suggested.

"It is his aunt's vault, he probably already has access to it." Harry pointed out.

"No, no," said Hermione. "It's just that they'll know exactly who took the cup when they notice it's gone. Of course, they might not notice right away, but it's only a matter of time."

"Well," Ron said, awkwardly, "I guess we'll have to get rid of You Know Who before then."


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Just wanted to address something real quick: This isn't going to be a full-fledged novel. This is a short story told in snippets. Hopefully they form a pleasing picture for all of your imaginations! Please enjoy :)

* * *

The Fifth Note

The cup had been surprisingly easy to find-Hermione was certain that _Draco_ had put a spell on it that would draw them specifically to its location, and Harry and Ron desperately hoped he would make an appearance so she could ask him, because she had been endlessly speculating on all the various ways to invent such a spell, and all the factors one would have to consider while doing so.

Hermione had a turn at destroying a Horcrux, this time, but unfortunately, they hadn't realized there was another note affixed to the bottom of the cup until after she'd plunged the sword straight through the bottom of the cup. The resulting explosion had rendered the note barely readable.

Ron had been the first to notice the singed pieces of paper on the forest floor. They scrambled to find as many as they could, and attempted to put them in some kind of order.

 _"Potter-"_

"That's only the most useless part, of course it didn't explode," Ron said angrily.

 _"…of Ravenclaw… of some... It's… Hogwarts so-… snake… with a modicum of finesse…"_

"Hmmm," said Hermione, "that bit was probably meant to be insulting, but it's so nicely phrased… 'modicum of finesse'… I think I might use that, myself."

Harry and Ron looked at her in confusion, shrugged, and went back to the paper scraps.

 _"passage into… Hogsmeade… Death Eaters… school myself… excuse._

 _-DLM"_

"So, it's at Hogwarts, then," Harry said, relieved they at least got that from the note. "Hermione, do you know what thing of Ravenclaw's he might be talking about?"

"No idea," Hermione shook her head.

"Well, I suppose there's nothing else for it, then," Ron said. "We're going back to Hogwarts."


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: I've borrowed a few lines from the illustrious JKR. Sadly I do not own them.

* * *

The Room of Requirement

"Hold it, Potter," Goyle's voice grunted as Harry reached out for the diadem. He turned around. Crabbe and Goyle stood a few paces away, wands out. Behind them stood Draco.

"So, how come you three aren't with Voldemort?" Harry asked, stalling. Ron and Hermione couldn't more than a few rows away; they'd hear them talking.

"We're gonna be rewarded," said Crabbe softly, and then Harry saw that behind him, Draco was raising a wand, and pointing it at Crabbe. _One_ , Draco mouthed at him. _Two._

"We 'ung back, Potter. Decided not to go. Decided to bring you to 'im."

On _three_ , Harry and Draco cried "STUPEFY", and Crabbe and Goyle collapsed in the red light. Draco stepped over them and tugged their wands from their hands, as Ron and Hermione came barreling around the corner.

"Salazar, you three really aren't capable of doing anything surreptitiously, are you?" he drawled.

"Draco!" Hermione exclaimed, her face brightening.

"How'd you get in here?" Ron asked rudely, although he reddened self-consciously as he said it.

"I virtually lived in the Room of Hidden Things all last year," said Draco, his voice brittle. "I know how to get in. That's it up there, yeh?"

He gestured up at the old tiara sitting on the bewigged stone bust.

Harry nodded and quickly reached up to snag it. He hesitated, and then held it out towards Draco.

"Would you like to do the honors?" Draco looked surprised for a moment, but he recovered quickly.

"Of course," he said, taking the diadem gently.

"Sword of Gryffindor or basilisk fang?" Hermione asked, looking down into her beaded bag.

Draco raised one eyebrow regally. "Is that even a question?"


	8. Chapter 8

The Great Hall

In the aftermath, there was an expectant hush, as the crowd realized that Voldemort had fallen for good, and then the air was filled with cheers and sobs, laughter and stray tears. Most eyes were on Harry, still in the middle of the hall, being crushed in an embrace from Hermione and Ron.

Hermione stepped back and looked around as others came up to hug Harry, her eyes searching anxiously. Her face had fallen into near disappointment when she at last spotted her objective. She scrambled through the array of people single-mindedly, gathering bemused looks all around.

Hermione collided with the unaware figure of Draco, pushing him back up against the wall he had been attempting to blend into, and, with quite a few people now watching them and assuming they were about to see Draco get punched, she grabbed the front of his jacket and slammed her lips onto his.

Draco promptly reciprocated, wrapping an arm around Hermione's waist, but after a few moments, he pulled away, and taking her hand, they fled the Great Hall.

Only two of the people observing this event did not appear shocked.

"Finally," said Ron, scratching his chin. "She's been bloody annoying about him."

"Yeah," Harry absentmindedly agreed. "You see Ginny anywhere?"


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Well, this'll be the last snippet. I'm afraid that's all I wrote, haha. Thanks to all who've read, reviewed, followed and favorited!

* * *

A Few Final Notes

 _"Potter-_

 _We would appreciate not being surprised by an Auror raid after dinner. Do inform the Ministry that I am not a Death Eater, I fought on your bloody side, and Hermione is not with me because I Imperioused her. She's perfectly fine, for your information. There's no need to send owls hourly._

 _-DLM_

 _P.S. Honestly, boys, I'm quite alright. Just get the Aurors off our backs! –Hermione"_

* * *

 _"Potter-_

 _I asked you to get the Aurors out, not get the Ministry to award me things. I'm a Malfoy; I'm supposed to bribe my way to Orders of Merlin, First Class, not earn them. You're ruining my reputation and I most certainly will not attend the ceremony._

 _-DLM_

 _P.S. Thank you, Harry. We'll be there, don't worry. –Hermione"_


End file.
